I can’t report on specifics now, but I’ve learned that a high-profile PlayStation 3 game has run into trouble in development. The game was once scheduled to be a major release for the PS3, but has been transformed into a mere 4 level download title to be sold over the PlayStation Network; similar to what happened with Gran Turismo HD except that you’ll have to pay.
Word is that SCEA is unhappy with the amount of money being spent on development of the title and the developer itself is pretty unhappy with SCEA. In the near future I’ll be able to reveal the title of the game, but for now just know that some title for the PS3 is about to become much less than it was originally intended to become.
In my opinion, this is a sign that the rocky start the PS3 has seen so far is going to be extended. If 1st, 2nd, and 3rd party developers are struggling to get titles out the door at a satisfactory level of quality, you really have to question how difficult developing for the PS3 can be. It’s too early to pass any verdict on the PlayStation 3, but I see shades of N64 all over the console at this point.
We’ll see if developers are willing to do what it takes to get their software up and running well on the PS3 or if they’ll be more likely to jump ship to the 360 and embrace the developer-friendly offering from Microsoft. Who knows, there may be a huge shift in the console landscape over the next few years if Sony can’t get things turned around soon.
I posted my review of the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on drive over at AMN Tek, but I left out some of the technical mumbo jumbo. The review can be found here: AMN Tek
Anyway, for those that a few more specific doubts about performance, I’ll say a bit more here. From testing on similar setups, I can safely say that the 360 HD-DVD drive performs just as well as Toshiba’s A1 drive which is priced at $500. The drive can’t output at 1080p through component cables, but you can through a VGA connection. The problem is, however, is that most HDTVs accept DVI, component, and/or HDMI for their HD inputs. The 1080i resoultion is fine for movies, however, so don’t get caught up on the lack of 1080p support.
As far as sound quality goes, it is about the same as you’ll get with a decent DVD player. Unfortunately the drive doesn’t support any next-generation sound like Dolby’s TrueHD, because the Xbox 360 itself only supports up to Dolby DTS through an optical out cable. Still, the sound quality is excellent, but you don’t get the extra clarity of lossless audio.
The drive will push out visuals as nice as your TV will display them, so prepare to be amazed if you decide to pick one of these drives up. I still don’t know if HD-DVD is going to survive this silly format war with Blu-Ray, but for $199.99 I’m happy to enjoy it for however long it lives.
I wasn’t able to get down to CES this year, despite having a press invitation pass. Instead, I was in New York City and monitoring the CES news online and in the papers. I did, however, enjoy the offerings of the show and the implications that all of the new tech products have for the gaming industry. Panasonic and Samsung both had impressive showings for their upcoming lineups of TVs, but what I’m really excited about is Mitsubishi’s laser DLP sets coming later this year. It seems like Mitsubishi is always ready to step up and take the first jump in the TV market, and I’ll probably be happy to send some of my money their way when their new sets release.
The Apple iPhone is pretty awesome looking, but the $600 price tag and a Cingular exclusivity agreement have me bummed out. With the dual touch interface, I think the iPhone could definitely have some cool games and applications in the works.
Microsoft’s IPTV for the 360 was pretty cool, but I don’t know that it’s completely worth the money in the end. I’m sure those that buy into the service will be pleased, but only with a much larger hard drive solution.
Of all of the products shown, I still get most worked up about the TVs. There were cool gadgets all around, but the next-gen consoles really really on a killer TV set to be able to realize their fullest potential. I’ve been enjoying my HD-DVD drive (more on that in the next day or two), and I’d love to see what it looked like on a top of the line set.
Next year I doubt I’ll be pulled away for business like I was this year, so hopefully I can be down on the CES floor drooling over prototypes and soon to be released tech products. Until then, I’ll be keeping my eyes out for those laser DLP sets coming out this year.
Wow, first post in a LONG time. I guess that can happen when you undergo surgery.
Anyway, I picked up the Xbox 360 HD-DVD add-on drive earlier today along with Batman Begins, Superman Returns, and the free copy of King Kong. After just looking at a few scenes it looks great. I’ll come back with detailed impressions when I can spend more time with the individual titles and mess around with the features and settings.
So, I hereby welcome myself back to active posting on The Stupid Gamer.
For a killer deal on one of the finest RPGs on the GameCube, head over to Amazon.com and take advantage of the awesome deal on Baten Kaitos: Origins. At $19.99 it’s a great game to add to your library or to hang on to for a gift.
Here’s the link to the sale: Baten Kaitos: Origins.
For all two of you that read this blog, you may have noticed a decline in the number of rants and bits of info that I’ve posted lately. Some of this is due to health issues, but the main reason is that the holiday season has me swamped at work and with game reviews over at AMN.
Recently I’ve started writing tech reviews over at AMN Tek. You can check that out here: http://tek.advancedmn.com
I’ll be back to updating regularly soon enough, just give me some time.
Nintendo was kind enough to send a pair of Wii Classic Contollers my way along with some Wii points so that I could dig into the Virtual Console experience. I spent hours downloading classic games and playing them by myself and with my wife. In the end I found that the controller was really the best way to experience the library of VC games.
My full review was posted on AMN Tek, a new tech blog that I’m a part of. Check out the review here: Wii Classic Controller Review.
Now that all three major console manufacturers have launched their newest consoles, next-gen can finally be referred to as current-gen and the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube games can be considered last-gen. So, now that we’ve finally arrived, is it anything truly special? Not really.
The Xbox 360 is really on a roll right now and is looking pretty impressive overall. It has, however, introduced gaming to microtransactions. These microtransactions are easily the worst thing to come along in gaming since, uh, well, ever. Hopefully microtransactions don’t become the Xbox 360′s legacy, but rather compelling software such as Gears of War and the eventual Halo 3.
The PlayStation 3 is off to a bit of a rocky start. The launch software is really, really, bad, and the system is plagued with all sorts of issues that range from hardware glitches and bad HDTV support. In fact, even though I have a nice HDTV, the PS3 would downscale my games to 480p because it doesn’t accept a 720p image. So basically my PS3 games would run in the same resolution as my old GameCube games. Lots of issues are being reported with the bluetooth controllers dropping in and out of communication as well. I think the PS3 will be fine in the long run, but its first few weeks haven’t been very reassuring. I can’t wait to see how it performs once the good software (MGS4, DMC4, etc.) starts rolling out.
The Nintendo Wii is off to a better start than either the 360 or PS3 were able to achieve. I think a lot of people are surprised by the amount of momentum and positive buzz that Nintendo has been able to build over the past 2 years leading up to the Wii’s launch. The pack-in game, Wii Sports, has proven to be a hit across the board and stories have flooded online forums of people playing with parents, grandparents, and all types of “non-gamers.” I think the Wii will do well, but let’s hope that Nintendo can actually commit to a good and solid online experience. It will be interesting to see if the Wii’s love fest is a long-term thing or merely a flash in the pan phenomenon.
Right now I still haven’t been able to track down a PS3 and I’ve decided I’m better off waiting until the Spring (at the earliest). I really do have plenty to keep me busy between the 360, the Wii, and stuff I haven’t finished on the PS2.
Ever since the Wii landed in my home last week I’ve been glued to the little machine, and so has my wife. The simple software is extremely friendly to anybody that wants to give things a quick try, but usually those little “quick tries” turn into a thousand “one more times.”
If you have any interest in the Wii, make sure to pick one up when you get the chance. I’ve never been so satisfied so quickly after the launch of a console. The future for the Wii is overwhelmingly bright and I have a feeling we’ll all be singing Nintendo’s praises for years to come. Coupled with the DS, Nintendo has now firmly cemented itself once again as a prominent and important videogame company.
Despite feeling quite ill today, I’m still planning on jumping into a line tomorrow to try and score a PlayStation 3 console. I don’t know why I bother though; as of yesterday there were already 5 guys in front of the closest Circuit City store and about 10 in front of the nearest Target.
Who are these people that are able to line up in their makeshift shanty towns for days end end for the chance to buy a $600 videogame console? Don’t they have work, school, or any sort of social life outside of gaming? How am I, a man with a 9 to 5 job and a wife, supposed to compete with these insanely motivated campers?
I guess the answer is that I can’t. The best I can do is try to find a store that won’t allow people to line up until the night before and try my luck there. While that sounds ideal, there are actually already people just wandering these stores and their parking lots to be the first to jump in line the second they are allowed. Essentially they are already in line and ahead of me.
So where does the blame lie? This happens for nearly every console launch and it never seems to change. I think that the console makers themselves need to be a bit more compassionate towards their fans. They need to delay hardware launches until they can provide enough systems to meet the initial demand. I understand that Sony is really happy to get the PS3 out before the holidays, but do they really need to? Does the sellout success of ANY new console depend on capitalizing on the holiday season? The answer is a resounding “NO.”
Sony could roll the PlayStation 3 out in February with 2-3 million consoles availalble and sell every single one. Microsoft could have done the same a year ago. Instead of forcing their fans to battle each other and struggle to get their hands on a system, these console makers should be willing to delay their launches so that their biggest supporters can have an enjoyable launch experience. For me, living in Utah, there’s not going to be anything enjoyable about spending the night in sub-freezing temperatures for the outside chance of getting a PS3; and if I come up empty-handed on Friday morning, you can bet that I’m going to be bitter.
Consoles should launch outside of the holidays unless they are truly prepared to be launched in proper fashion. By releasing consoles after the holiday season, the gamers can focus on the huge lineup of AAA games that appear each November and December and worry about getting their hands on new hardware a couple of months down the line.
While it’s too late to do anything about it this generation, let’s just hope that next time around the console makers can be a bit better prepared to meet the launch day demand or that they can delay their launch until they are.
Good luck PS3 and Wii campers. Dress warm, be courteous, and be safe.
